Spiny Norman wrote:And before that, Richelieu was always stroking cats while plotting. But it's hardly scene stealing, to be honest.

In Henri Diamant-Berger's 1921 serial of The Three Musketeers, Richelieu's desk is perpetually covered in cavorting kitties. So many, in fact, that Richelieu loses some menace as a result. In real life the Cardinal owned 14 cats at the time of his death. The ultimate scene-stealing kitty movie just might be Kon Ichikawa's I Am a Cat (1975).

Yes, I can imagine that that hints more of crazy cat lady than of the merciless statesman.

The first was probably the cat in G. A. Smith's THE OLD MAID'S VALENTINE (1900). There is a close-up of the same cat in GRANDMA'S READING GLASS (1900). THE SICK KITTEN (1903) apparently shows the same cat as the mother of the kitten. So she seems to have been G. A. Smith's family cat and may be considered as the first feline film star.

In "The Horseman on the Roof," set in the Napoleonic era, a well-trained cat accompanies Olivier Martinez over rooftops in an extended chase sequence. And in "L'Atalante" cats are repeatedly HURLED into scenes set on a garbage barge, usually onto actors' shoulders if I remember correctly; you're supposed to think that the vessel is so infested with cats that they are always jumping around like gnats - doesn't work, but the scenes are certainly stolen by the outside-the-frame hurler if not the cats alone. Finally, there is the Coen Bros film "Inside Llewyn Davis" that appears to feature an orange tabby in numerous scenes but it was actually several lookalike orange tabbies - anyway, they stole their scenes as far as I was concerned.

earlytalkiebuffRob wrote:THE FIRST AUTO (1927) has a magic lantern show scene where a local moggy wanders in front of the lens to the general hilarity of the audience, and Russell Simpson in particular...

And Mel Kaufman's tune "Me-Ow" playing in the music score makes it even better!

Carl Dreyer's LOVE ONE ANOTHER (1922) has a kitten playing with the treadle arrangement rocking a baby (19m).THE SOUL OF YOUTH (1920) has a pampered puss as the centre of discord in a childless couple's household, and a (food) burglary is disturbed by a kitten knocking over some tins in the larder.

Another one to add is Dwain Esper's delirious MANIAC (1934), which steals shamelessly from Poe's 'The Black Cat', features a moggy which polishes off a living heart and has a horrid neighbour who breeds them for their fur...